One's Story
by yin13147
Summary: There was also a fifteen year-old teen with shoulder-length layered black hair and grayish-blue eyes – who is one of those few that stayed composed. Yukina Heijuoryu, or better, Jyun – her avatar name, stood in silence and processed the whole situation in her mind. Same plot of SAO, but through the POV of a different character/OC. Canon characters will appear.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I rarely do fics wherein I insert an OC, so do be nice to me please. Review if you choose to read the story, but if you don't like stories with OCs in them, then go somewhere else. I did my best here, so be nice.**

**Disclaimer: Reki Kawahara is the respective creator of Sword Art Online. This piece of fanfiction is purely for entertainment and not for profit.**

* * *

**OC Information:**

**Yukina Heijuoryu**

Hair color: Black  
Hair style: Shoulder-length, layered (at first, as her hair starts to grow in the game)  
Eye color: Grayish-blue  
Age: 15  
Avatar name: Jyun  
Favorite colors: Blue, black, and silver

Personality: Jyun is tomboyish and kind of blunt. Although she's not exactly antisocial, she acts dangerously defensive towards almost everyone because she used to be bullied by her former classmates both physically and verbally for a long time until she finally graduated from elementary. This experience greatly affected her and made her distrusting of almost all the people around her. Although, she is determined to clear SAO and get out alive, as she takes this as a chance to renew herself and change into a better person. She's not weak, as she will make it clear to what is in her mind; but she always thinks before she acts. Unlike many other girls, she has no interests in falling in love. Even though she's compassionate and careful with her actions, when angered or very irritated, she starts to act aggressive and rude that it unnerves a lot of people. This other side of hers stems from the frustration she has bottled up since her childhood.

* * *

**PROLOGUE  
**

'_**You cannot log out the game…'**_

'_**Each floor has a boss. Defeat the floor boss to advance to the next level…'**_

'_**You must clear all 100 floors of the game and only then will you be able to log out…'**_

'_**If your HP drops to 0, then your avatar will die, as well as your body in the real world…'**_

That was spoken to all the ten thousand players of the VRMMORPG game 'Sword Art Online'. The one who said those words were no more than the creator of the game himself – Akihiko Kayaba, so no one would dismiss it as a joke, a prank, or a really bad bug.

As a parting gift, Akihiko Kayaba left them each a mirror that unveiled their true appearances, and now everyone's real faces are unmasked. With that, he disappeared from the Town of Beginnings and the sky returned back to normal, although no one could say the same for the players who started to shout their protests and their complaints.

Only a few stayed calm despite the tension and the fear rising in their veins.

Some of the few calm people are a black-haired boy, a girl with long chestnut hair, a girl with short pink hair and a young girl with light brown hair. Of course, they're shocked by the situation they're stuck in, yet they didn't freak out or lose their cool.

There is also a fifteen year-old teen with shoulder-length layered black hair and grayish-blue eyes – who is one of those few that stayed composed.

Yukina Heijuoryu, or better, Jyun – her avatar name, stood in silence and processed the whole situation in her mind. Her breaths were quick and shallow, and her eyes were wider than normal, as she realized that she along with several others are trapped in a game where their lives are at stake. It wasn't funny. It really wasn't. But the fact that the man would endanger their lives just to create a 'true virtual reality game', it doesn't serve as a reason either.

"_It's just another phrase that means 'I want to see the players suffer and despair in a game where they really lose their lives'. That man is a sadistic bastard, in other words!_" Jyun thought, feeling more anger than she feels fear for her life. How would the game creator even expect that they clear the game, when their death is real and they can't be brought back to life?

Jyun knew how difficult it would be to clear the floors. She's one of the 1000 players who got selected in the beta test; hence she knew some of the rules of the game and how the battle system goes. Every floor boss is extremely difficult to handle, even the boss at level 1 that many consider the easiest level in many other games.

"But... We have no other choice, right?"

Those words spoke the inevitable truth. Everyone can scream and cry and shout, but they wouldn't be able to get out the game unless they do clear all the floors in Aincrad. That's the only choice that they all have, and Jyun is fully aware of that fact. As she accepted the bitter truth, she narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. She stayed still for another moment, and finally she left the town hall where almost everyone else still stayed as they continued to yell at nothing else but the sky itself.

She didn't know where she's walking exactly, but she had to get away from the Town of Beginnings as far as she could. There's no point in staying there, even though her safety is ensured in the town. If she does stay in the inns there while the others take care of the floors themselves, then she would be a coward. And she doesn't want to be a coward. She wants to be the complete opposite of a coward.

"_I won't let myself rot away. I have to fight, and maybe I could become someone that I can respect myself. Whatever the difficulties..._"

She paused walking when small but deadly plant monsters materialized a couple of feet away from in front of her. As they caught sight of her, they charged in for an attack. Jyun didn't hesitate to unsheathe her sword, and it started to glow with her sword input.

"_Whatever the difficulties, I'll be one of those to clear the game! I'll get it out alive! And I'll change!_"

With that determination carved in her head like a burn mark, she charged for the plant monsters with her blade in the air and ready to strike.

**One month passed, over 2,000 players have died, but the first floor had yet to be cleared. **

**_To be continued..._  
**


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

**One month passed, over 2,000 players have died, but the first floor had yet to be cleared. **

The fact that so many players have died within only a month meant that most are at a loss if they'll really make it out alive. Some expected that the first floor would be cleared in two to three weeks, but they got fruitless results.

But now... They might have some hope. As of the moment, a meeting is being organized where only some players are brave enough to attend gathered.

Jyun attended too, but she stayed at the very back. Hence, almost everyone didn't notice her. But the raven head noticed a young girl wearing a hooded cloak glance at her for a moment before turning her head back to below.

Jyun inhaled before looking at the front, where a man with blue hair with the attire of a knight spoke to all those who gathered. The audience was silent as the man named Diabel stated that they found the boss of the first floor.

Surprised by the news and the fact that they do have a chance to beat this virtual game, many men whooped and clapped. Jyun smiled and sighed out in relief, thinking the same thing that almost everyone does.

_They can make it out alive, after all. _

"First, divine into parties of six." Diabel stated, and almost everyone followed automatically. Jyun frowned at that, her eyes creasing from what was said to them.

"_That sounds impossible for me. I never do good in a group, and I'm not even comfortable in grouping with anybody_."

She knew that the knight had a point in what she said, since people who fights a floor boss alone does not stand a chance. But even if she had a choice, she would rather stay on her own; which was why she didn't do anything and just watched the others form a party. The two people in front of her, as she noticed, had no one else to party with so they just partied with each other.

Jyun sighed again, but this time from a very unpleasant feeling. "_I hope they won't ask me to party. I hope they won't-_"

"Hey, you there." a young man with black hair and gray eyes called out and she twitched, but she replied nonetheless.

"Yes?"

"Are you in a party with anyone right now?" he asked. Jyun shook her head honestly.

"Oh. Is it okay then if you party with us? Just only until we clear the first floor." the teen requested.

Jyun contemplated about it for a moment. She knew that no player has any chance whatsoever in taking a floor boss by him or herself, but since he said it was only for the first floor and for nothing more, she pressed the 'Yes' button of the question board that flashed in front of her.

"Good luck in the battle." She bid to the man, whose name as she looked at the 'screen' in her eyes and she made sure to remember the teen that she now knows as Kirito.

Diabel explained more about the boss and everyone listened with very open ears as they couldn't let this be treated like it was any quest. It was already _very clear_ in everyone's minds that game over is death for everyone in SAO.

The knight stated that the boss is Illfang the Kobold Lord accompanied by Ruin Kobold Sentinels. They all listened to the additional information about the boss, how it attacks, and where the boss floor is.

Jyun recalled fighting the same monster, and the information given to them was right as she analyzed deeply. The weapon was the same in the beta test, along with the name and everything else.

It was all accurate, and she knew exactly where the information would come from. "_Who else would it be but beta testers?_" she sighed in her head and she waited until the meeting would end as there was nothing else needed to be said.

But before Diabel could do it himself, another man named Kibaou intervened and jumped down to shout to the entire audience about the beta testers, who he claimed to be responsible for the deaths of the many thousand players that died because they left the inexperienced players on their own to die. And he even called out to everyone in the area, telling those who are beta testers to come out and relieve themselves of all their equipment and money as compensation.

Jyun was not happy about that, and something in her gut told her that he had another motive for asking her and all the other beta testers that could be there right now, to give up all what they had.

"_Who the hell was he to ask that? I do feel sorry for those who died, but it doesn't mean we should forsake all our stuff. That's just the same as leaving us for dead._"

She paused in her thoughts when she saw Kirito shaking slightly, and she knew that he's a beta tester just from that. Who else would feel uneasy from what that brash bastard said? She felt uneasy too, but somehow she felt more angered than she was nervous.

It just so happened that another man with a tall and muscular physique with dark skin named Agil stepped in and defended her, Kirito, and all the other beta testers out there by stating that the information about the boss came from the beta testers _themselves_, as well as all the other information in the guide book that was being distributed by the merchants for free.

Jyun felt relief in her chest when she realized that there were people who cared for everyone's well-being, whether they're beta testers or not. And she felt a little pleased that she made the smallest of smirks when Kibaou stopped saying anything else and just retired to the seats.

With all that over, Diabel dismissed them and they all took separate ways. Jyun didn't even try to make a conversation with Kirito or the other party member, Asuna.

* * *

With the meeting over, night quickly fell and the sky turned to black. The only source of light now for the Town of Beginnings were the fire-lit street lamps illuminating the streets, and even in the evening many were still outside.

Jyun quietly walked outside the safe zone of the town and waited until several wolf monsters appeared in front of her. Even though they are many, their HP was very low hence she immediately obliterated them all with one slash each. The fight earned her 100 XP, and a notification board appeared in front of her.

**Level up! Jyun  
Lvl 3**

With that notification more than enough for one night, she went back inside the town and headed for the inn. She knew that tomorrow she would have to face the difficulty that 7,000 other players had yet to face as they didn't get to participate in the beta test.

Everything was hell in just _one month_.

The causes of most of the 2,000 who died were from suicide by falling down to the sky, and into the endless void where everything is nothing for all eternity.

And from this news, more found it hopeless to move on so they just shriveled up and waited until they withered more and more until they're at the stage of death. That was why she hoped that this fight would bring everyone back to their senses.

Right as she stepped in the safe zone, a figure approached her but there was no threat shown so she didn't put up her guard and merely sighed.

"I'm okay." She replied, thinking that Kirito was just there to check on her.

"I know you are. It's just that I noticed you fighting monsters outside, and I wanted to ask you something." Jyun expects the next words coming, and it took five seconds until she nods for him to continue and he does.

"Are you a beta tester?"

She nods instantly, not hesitating or anything. She always answers what is asked to her in a very direct manner, and even in the game, that part of her does not change.

She continued with what she expected Kirito was thinking. "You know from watching me fight in an area where monsters usually spawn. Beta testers know where they spawn, where to get the good stuff, and thus you know I am like you."

A pause.

"I saw you. You were shaking when that man told us to give away our money and equipment. You wouldn't be shaking unless you were a beta tester."

"I see. So I was right." Kirito mused and didn't say anything else for a moment. Jyun blinked in wonder to why the man was making a solemn expression, but then she understood. Like her, he's apprehensive of revealing himself as a beta tester for once that everyone gets word of it, they'll be immediately treated like outcasts.

But it's not like it would affect her like it would affect others. She was already past the stage of getting used to the feeling of isolation.

"You're not bothered that you are a beta tester, Jyun?" he asked with a calm voice, not so bothered from the confirmed truth. She shook her head and walked to a wall where she leaned her back against the hard object and sighed deeply.

"It is expected of most to be bothered. But I guess, it's better for me. I don't do well with groups anyway. What about you?"

"I also prefer being on my own. But if I have to, I'll be in groups with other people... as long as I can get along with them. I find it difficult to get friendly with others, honestly." Jyun raised her head and listened intently as Kirito confessed briefly, "No matter what I do, I come out as an outsider in the end. So games become my solace, and led me here."

Jyun felt her heart warming up a little the moment he said that. She never trusts anybody, but the fact that Kirito would say even just those words to her, it meant that he didn't think of her the way many in her life would.

"So do I." she replied, opening up to him unlike to many other people who shunned her like she's evil. He let her speak, and she collected her breath before she continued straight ahead without pausing once.

"But my reason is different. If your reason is because you're just unable to, mine is because everyone in my world hates me even though I did nothing wrong. Like you, I find comfort in playing games and soon they became important to me. I thought that SAO was like everything else with just more advanced settings, but I was wrong."

"Everyone thinks that." Kirito sympathized, standing beside her against the wall. His gaze was directed elsewhere before he moved his eyes towards her for a quick second. "But I'm surprised that even you are strong enough to handle this on your own."

Jyun responded in an instant, "It's better than letting yourself die. And I'm not the type to chicken out. Thinking about it makes me wish I'm dead. Like those brave enough to take on the boss, I'll help clear the game."

Kirito smiled in understanding, and with nothing else to say to each other they parted ways for the rest of the night.

* * *

The fight finally ended and everyone whooped in victory, making loud shouts and cheers of overwhelming joy. Jyun didn't join them and just stayed taciturn while she looked at the exact spot on the floor where Diabel died.

She knew that he's a good man. But yet, he had to make the blind move of rushing in alone to deal the finishing blow and get the last attack bonus.

Yes, that is a very good reward but it didn't mean that he shouldn't have strategized a kind of attack. Well, none of them saw it coming. The attack pattern of the boss changed drastically that it was hard to read and therefore it led to the man's demise. She didn't even know that the boss would use a Nodachi and not the one in the guide book.

"That damned game creator sure did it now." She muttered under her breath, getting even more furious at the man who made what was thought to be just a game.

"Why?!"

Everyone stopped cheering the instant that yell was heard, and they turned their attention to Kibaou who was on his knees on the floor. He yelled at Kirito, blaming him for letting Diabel die and not telling them about the boss' change in the attack pattern as Kirito knew that it was different from what was told to them. And what's worse, he revealed Kirito's status as a beta tester.

Now, almost everyone spat accusations towards Kirito, and he didn't give any emotion for a moment and didn't look at any of them. He stayed on the floor and stared at the small board in front of him that stated he won the last attack bonus item. He knew that he shouldn't have let Diabel die, but it wasn't like he even expected the boss to use a different weapon. None of them knew.

"_This is not good. At this rate..._" Kirito grimaced in his thoughts and silence overtook him for a moment. There was nothing else he could do, and he knew sweet talk wouldn't ease the matter right now. The hatred for beta testers is strong, as proved by recent events, and he blinked in wonder to what he could do.

There was no fix to this. But there He tensed slightly and swallowed a lump in his throat, wondering what he could to stop all this. He couldn't let the other beta testers get blamed too from this event.

Agil didn't seem so bothered that Kirito was a beta tester as he tried to calm down the angry crowd of men, and the same went with Asuna, but suddenly the black-haired man started to laugh, his smile and eyes showing malignance.

"A beta tester?" he scoffed with a little chuckle at the end. "I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies." He said as he got back up on his feet, facing them.

"W-What?!"

In a condescending tone, he explained, "Most of the thousand beta testers were beginners who didn't even know how to level up. You guys are better than they are." Others were puzzled to what just came out his lips, and in a very haunting tone at that.

"Kirito...?" Jyun knew that Kirito was not that kind of person. And that was why she was also confused to what made him suddenly act like that. "_Has he gone mad? No... it's not. But why is he then acting like..._" Even though she barely knew the teen, she could in the very least tell that the way he is acting now is completely not like him.

"But, I'm not like them." The arrogance in his voice grew worse as the bangs of his hair shadowed over his eyes. "I made it higher than anyone else during the beta test." He declared, almost boasted. "The reason I knew the boss's skills is because I fought monsters with katana skills on floors far above us."

Jyun had a feeling that he was lying about that part. No beta tester would make it that far in a complex game like SAO, no matter how skilled in games that person is. SAO is different from all the games she played, and as an expert herself she knew that what he said was not true, hence his actions confused her even further.

"I know a lot more. _Way more_ than any information broker." He grinned slyly, his eyes narrowing and his dark smile widening. It unnerved some of the players as the look on his face seemed scary.

Kibaou shouted back at Kirito that it was even worse than a beta tester, as in way worse, and that it was already cheating, the worst form of cheating in fact as one who uses his knowledge only for his benefit and leaves others to die was completely selfish.

It was even uglier to think about since they're in the virtual game that has their life hanged on a thin thread that can break in any minute.

"A beta tester and a cheater... a Beater!" a player yelled in aggravation, many others riding on to badmouth Kirito who was now a villain in their eyes.

"Beater? I like it." Jyun didn't seem to flinch or make anything as Kirito tapped on his player data screen. "That's right... I'm a beater. From now on, _don't _compare me with the other testers." The smirk on his face did not disappear as he pressed on a button and a dark coat – The Coat of Midnight – appeared on him as a clothing and he started to walk to the stairs that would lead to the next floor.

Jyun sighed inwardly in realization.

The fact that he told them twice to not compare him with the other people who got selected in the beta test, like her, meant that he really wasn't cheating nor did he mean anything he said. She knows he's a beta tester, but if she gave it really deep thought, she could know right away that Kirito was just preventing them from judging the other beta testers.

He directed _all the hate_ to himself.

She tried to step in, but with one glance from Kirito, her body stiffened. There was pity in those gray eyes of his, along with understanding of what she was trying to do. He was telling her to not get herself involved, and as much as she'd like to do otherwise, she respected his wishes and just lowered her head to let the next events happen.

_**To be continued...**_


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2  
**

Six months passed since the first floor was cleared. As time in SAO progresses and advances, so do the players. As of now, the current floor that has yet to be cleared is Floor 42.

The front lines – the group consisting of powerful players and guilds teaming up together to clear the floors – are still planning how to make their attacks, what other strategies can be used, and so on so forth.

Jyun is a member of the front lines, although she never participates in any of their meetings and only assists them when it comes to defeating the floor bosses. Hence, she just retreats back to her house in the 29th floor. It took a lot of Cor for her to buy a house because, for the past 38 floors, she had to lodge in inns all the time until she finally got to save up enough Cor to get herself a good house.

She walked down the long, crowded road that would lead to her house. On the way there, a scream stops her from walking. She, along with all the people surrounding her, turns around to where the scream was coming from.

"Help! Someone help!" a woman screamed in panic. In front of her is man in his thirties, looking very pale and weak. The people gave some space and backed off the scene by a few feet, and when Jyun moved to the front to see what the fuss was about, she had to stop a gasp from coming out from her throat.

"What's wrong?" One of the townspeople asked.

"He's dying! Someone help!" the woman wailed with fear etched all over her face like a permanent mask. She doesn't have a healing crystal, and no one bothered to step forward to help her heal the man.

In SAO, dying means a person's HP is down to his/her very last bar, and the people were baffled. They were in a safe zone and no one's HP can go down in a safe zone with the exception of duels. So how can he be drained of HP? There was no such thing as life-reducing poison in SAO compared to other games.

Jyun was also confused to how could the man be dying, but she was not primarily focused on that. What surprised her more was that she knew the man.

Jyun may not have any trust at all in most of the players, but she knew that this man was different. He is a kind man who, instead of fighting any monsters, just serves as a cook in a restaurant that he set up in the 36th floor. He was the one who taught her how to cook, and thanks to him her cooking skills went from horrible to decent. Therefore she owed him, and she now had the chance to repay it.

She walks forward and no one even notices her until she made herself known to the crowd by saying, "Stand back. I'll heal him."

She took out a healing crystal and with only one word, the crystal shatters and fully restores the man's HP. Jyun was grateful that the man was alright now, but she was also very annoyed as to why didn't anyone do anything to help him even though they also have healing crystals with them.

Healing crystals are not expensive but not cheap either, yet anyone could get enough Cor to buy 10 of them if they defeat some monsters in the lower-level dungeons. The fact that they didn't do anything meant that they don't care at all and this was exactly why Jyun puts up her guard towards almost everybody. Only very few out of the eight thousand were the people she's sure she could trust without any doubt whatsoever.

One was the man she just healed, and the second was Kirito. She hadn't talked to him since that incident in the first floor, but she does get a few glimpses of him in some of the boss floors that they cleared. Other than that, they haven't talked at all. Whenever she is reminded of him, she feels like she does belong.

She was always an outcast, and she admits it to herself often without feeling any pain. She thought that no one would feel the same thing she does, but the fact that someone else has been in a situation similar to hers made her feel a bit enlightened about herself. And she didn't even ask him to tell anything about his life. He just said it to her so openly, that she doesn't feel that alienated as she always feels.

Setting that aside for now, she helped the man up to his feet and silently departed the area, bringing him to her house.

* * *

"Um... I really have to repay you for saving me." Touma insisted, all the while eating the bread soup that Jyun cooked up for him once he was awake from his sleep. The raven head shook her head.

"No. You already did, when you helped me develop my cooking skills." She quickly replied with a kind tone, a tone that she rarely uses nowadays. "It sure helped me a lot, even if it doesn't seem that much to you." She claimed. She was already in her casual outfit consisting of a dark blue short-sleeved shirt with black pants reaching to her ankles and silver flat sandals.

"Well, I'm just surprised that you would still remember that. But I really can't help but owe a debt to you for saving me."

"That reminds me... were you attacked in the town?"

"Eh? What makes you ask that?"

"When I saw you with your HP drained to the last bar, you were _in_ the town, not out. And you don't own any weapons, so it's unlikely that it was from a duel. And no one can kill someone in a safe zone." Jyun stated, her tone turning back to serious as she sat at the edge of the bed. Touma readjusted himself into a more comfortable position as he twiddled his thumbs tougher, trying to think of what happened when he got attacked.

"My memory of it was hazy, but if I remember right, it was in the forest right outside the town. Is that already outside the safe zone?"

Jyun nodded her head. "So you were attacked outside the town, and then dragged back inside to cause a scene. And even though they know you're already drained, no one even bothered to help you." Her voice started to turn sharp with anger, and she made a heavy sigh to collect her thoughts. "Touma-san, do you know what your attacker looked like?"

Touma thought for a while, doing his best to recall clearly the features he could pick up about the man that attacked him. He remembered blazing, unruly red orange hair and bloodthirsty eyes of the same color, along with a very large and heavy sword, it looked like something that not a normal human could wield alone.

Since that was all he could recall, he told all what he knows, word by word, to Jyun and she immediately stood up from the bed. She put back on her battle attire, her Shadow Cape hanging over her back and her Fienna boots replacing the simple sandals.

"I'll go find him." She said and she wasn't going to listen to any of his statements of her to do otherwise. She immediately left the house to go to the part in the town where the players teleport to another floor. Touma couldn't say anything because it happened so quickly, and he knew that Jyun might grow worried if she comes back and sees him gone. He just stayed on his bed and waited.

* * *

Jyun heard of him. She didn't know exactly who the man was, but she heard of what he does from the gossips of the other players. A man who attacks people until they're down to the very last HP bar, then bringing them to town for the men to watch and stay there in shock and fear and confusion as the person dies. But no one actually knew what happened to those thirty-four players who died from the same attacks, because they left them there to suffer and shatter like glass, watching their fragments dissipating into the air.

Now... she knew the real reason why and she won't allow that to happen any further. She wasn't sure exactly if she chose the right floor to teleport in, but her gut was strongly telling her that Floor 35 was where that man is right now - the HP Drainer, or some others call him... the Bloodsucker.

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Right now, the 35th floor is as crowded as the 29th floor and Jyun did not like this one bit. She hoped that her instincts are right as she moves her head and her eyes left and right to see any signs of the color red orange.

Surely, anyone with that hair color would stand out like a sore thumb but within the large crowd of players and NPCs making it difficult to search for the person she's looking for. She sighed, and this time she tries to see if there's any spot in the town that's not that crowded so she could use her searching skills.

Her eyes took notice of a small unoccupied area between two stalls and she quickly headed for there. Despite her feminine stature, she is used to sneaking in crowds like she could in real life when it comes to concerts or anime conventions. Quietly and carefully, she snakes her way through the crowd as she gets closer and closer to that spot. When a player cruelly pushed her back, she shot a murderous glare at the man who flinched before walking away at a faster pace.

"Damn bastard..." she cursed, her teeth slightly gritting together. But she continued blending in with the crowd until her feet are finally on something free and spacious. She dusts off her clothes before looking at the crowd. Her eyes dart back and forth, but she still found no one with red orange hair.

Jyun closes her eyes for a second and when she opened them, the bluish-gray color of her eyes turned to a yellow-green color. Her view became better, sharper, larger, and she could see clearly even from very far distances.

Slowly, her eyes zoom around the place and she looked very closely for her target. When she caught a shade of red orange near the town square – which is far from where she's standing – she quickly tensed and she snaked through the crowd again with more speed than a while ago. Whenever she sensed that people are about to push her or shove her forcefully, she would evade it and she continues to persist until she's close enough.

Without even caring about the reactions of the other people, she takes out her longsword and nudges the very tip at the man's back. The latter flinched slightly before turning his head around to know who poked him, and he narrows his eyes when he sees the holder of the sword.

"Huh? Why the hell is a chick pointing me? You wanna duel? Well sorry but I'm not in the mood." He replied with sarcasm in his voice, waving his hand in a dismissing manner. Jyun fearlessly and boldly walked closer to the man, holding out her hand and grabbing the back of the man's shirt.

Despite his tall height compared to hers of 5'3, she doesn't care whether she's dealing with a bulky guy or a midget. If they get on her bad side, she doesn't care what kind of person makes her feel irritated because she has had more than her fair share of tormentors.

She leans close to his ear, her hand still gripping the back of his shirt. With a venomous tone, asked in a very dark tone, "Listen, I'm not in the mood for anything else but a duel with you. You can do that, right… _Bloodsucker_?" The last word is said so sharply and she made it audible enough for the people nearby to hear. She felt a slight flinching from the man who smacked her hand away and turned around so they would face each other.

There is silence between them but the people are shocked at the mention of the word 'Bloodsucker'. They know very well what she meant, and the younger players cringed in fear as they looked at the orange-haired teen, who slowly let a grin grow on his lips.

"Whoa now... didn't expect a chick to bust me out. But clever you are, considering that I took a lot of precautions to not get caught by anybody." He mused, shrugging his shoulders while holding his arms a little high.

Of course, it's not good that he's now exposed but he's amused as well that it's a girl who exposed him in public, and with such bold bravery. Usually most girl players often flinch in his presence but he knows that she's different. She doesn't seem to be like the others, as that cold and serious expression on her face proves his point.

"The other players – or should I say _jerkwads_ – didn't even bother to help your previous victims. But I managed to save your latest victim since I owe him for something he did back then, and he told me enough of what I needed to know to track you down. I'm actually grateful that you have unique features, or it would be harder to find you." Jyun answered without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"How could you even know that I'm here?" the man added, placing a hand on his hip in a carefree manner.

"It's just instinct. Turns out I'm right to trust my gut." She raises her sword and points it at the man in a threatening manner. She didn't care that others looked at her like she's the bad guy in the scene. She doesn't even give a damn for what the so-called 'jerkwads' think.

"So, are you going to duel me or not? Or is it, are you going to chicken out just because I'm a girl?" she challenged with a mocking tone. She's not looking down on him, but she can't help but see if he'll really take her on.

The man stared at her for a moment with wide eyes, surprised at how cold and direct she's acting towards him. He lets a short breath come out his mouth, before he starts to cackle like a crazed madman in an asylum. This doesn't faze her, and walks even closer before holding the blade at his throat, like she's ready to have his larynx slit into pieces any minute. The man immediately stops laughing and looks at the girl. Even though he's taller than her by almost a foot, he has to admit that she's scary.

"I don't mind that you're laughing, but I don't have all day to wait for your answer. Yes," she pushes the blade a little closer to the skin of his neck. "Or no?"

He goes back a few steps after nudging her away, and he brings out his greatsword and swings it violently. The people watching retreated and made more space for them. He chuckles maliciously and is eyes spark with bloodlust as a small screen appears in front of him.

Without even having to read the message, he presses the yes button and when he's asked to what kind of duel he wants it to be, he looks at Jyun for her choice. She narrows her eyes as a sign that it's up to him. He grins wider than before, and he clicks the option that allows two players in a duel to fight until one reaches the yellow zone.

The countdown starts.

_**60…**_

"I don't think of myself as a knight or anything of the sort, but I guess it's fair that we say who we are."

"In public? Aren't we supposed to be discreet?" he sneered, but she doesn't flinch as she responds in her unsympathetic tone, "We're only going to say our avatar names, _dumbass_. But if you want to say your real name as well, do as you see fit then."

_**47…**_

He laughs loudly, "Man, you really are different from the other girls I see. So, you first."

"I'm Jyun. Level 64." She says straightforwardly, her grip on the hilt of her sword tight and secure. Her other hand doesn't hold a sword, but her arm carries a small round shield that looks like it's made from plain steel.

Others flinched and gasped at the mention of her name. As they could recall, she is the second player in SAO to be recognized as a Beater after Kirito. It was during when Floor 4 had yet to be cleared, since even though the players are given hope that they can clear the game after the first floor was cleared, doesn't mean that the next levels will be any easier.

If Kirito made it up to Floor 8 in the beta test, Jyun made it up to Floor 6. There's a time that Jyun was fighting monsters in areas where they spawn the most, and for the second time she got caught by a guild. They knew that she's a beta tester by then and started to bother her with so many questions about what she knows in the beta test. She couldn't think of any way to drive them off her, and so she consented.

The next day after that, they were gone. When Jyun questioned why, it was because they did an incredibly reckless act by trying to clear the fourth floor by themselves without even the Clearers assisting them. It was insane, and everyone knew it. Jyun didn't expect them to do such a thing either, and the only thing she could do was pity them, even if she lacks the ability to trust the people around her.

Some player got word that she's the one who told the guild what drove the members to go directly to their own deaths, and like Kirito, everyone started to treat her like she's the real monster. The event didn't humiliate her or anger her, because she doesn't care what they're thinking. Hell, it's even better for her so that no one would pester her.

"And you?" she asks, her eyes glinting for a second.

_**40…**_

"The name's Kusanagi. And wow, compared to your level I'm 5 levels lower than yours. And also, I'd like to introduce my real name as well. To hell if everyone knows who the Bloodsucker really is." he exclaimed, giving his sword another swing.

_**32… **_

"My real name is Hachirou Adachi." He introduces with an evil growl, and Jyun doesn't make a reaction. They point their swords at each other, their eyes boring into the other with fierce intensity.

The aura around them is so tense and powerful that it feels like the atmosphere is turning into fire and it makes the people nearby sweat from their foreheads to their napes. Some even swallowed audibly as large knots formed in their throats from what they're seeing.

_**21…**_

Jyun didn't show any expression aside from the dispassionate look she's showing on her face, but inside she feels like thunder is striking her. She knows who he is very well, and not because of what he does in the game. She knows him in their real lives, and she's not happy about knowing that. He used to be her classmate in elementary.

_**16…**_

They were classmates in elementary from the second grade to the fifth grade, and Jyun deeply loathed the memory of her life there. The man she's about to duel with in less than a minute played a big part to why her childhood was not something worth enjoying.

He abused her so many times, bullying her for no reason at all, making sure that every single day in school is hell for her, and no matter how many times she tries to evade him and ignore him in order for him to stop, he never ceased to stop. The same goes to her other tormentors.

_**10…**_

_**9…**_

_**8…**_

_**7…**_

_**6…**_

_**5…**_

Jyun realized that she's actually going to fight someone who bullied her and tortured her when she was a child. She slightly felt fear. She's not afraid of him, but more specifically at the thought if she can really stand up to him when she did nothing when she was being bullied before.

_**4…**_

"Ah. Why am I thinking that?" a very small smile crosses her lips, and it's not sweet. It's menacing and full of the want for revenge. "_Of course... this is a game. I didn't even tell him who I really am. None of us are going to die. So that means, I can beat him to a pulp in the very least_." For some reason, Kusanagi felt like the girl's sword is glowing with ominous energy, even though there's no sword input in the blade.

"Heh." She chuckles briefly, but no one noticed, not even her opponent. The duel is very close now.

_**3…**_

_**2…**_

_**1…**_

**BEGIN!**

**_To be continued..._  
**


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

**_BEGIN!_**

The instant that word flashed in mid-air, a blinding spark could be seen – the spark caused by the clash of two different blades.

Because of his larger blade size, Kusanagi shoved Jyun back with ease before making a violent slash. The attack would have cut her in half should she had not reacted in time to block his sword with her shield.

"Heh. Not bad. You must have increased your Strength to such a point that you can stand your ground against my sword with only one arm." Kusanagi sneered, applying more force in his sword to give Jyun a harder time in keeping herself steady.

However, the latter did not back down and she pressed her feet harder against the ground before applying sword input into her blade and aiming it for Kusanagi's greatsword. The attack stunned him for a moment and made himself open. Jyun takes this as an opportunity to make her next attack, and she swings her sword for another slash.

Kusanagi quickly snapped out his daze and prevented Jyun from landing a hit on him. He swings his sword horizontally, and Jyun swiftly dodges the attack by jumping backwards, her movement similar to that of an acrobat's.

"Damn, you're really tough." Kusanagi panted lightly.

"Same goes with you." Jyun replied, and her eyes glinted as if she's amused with something.

Kusanagi's breathing flinched when he saw a cut on his lower arm. It's not very deep, nor is it painful; but the cut reduced his HP by a few points. "_She must have done that the same time she dodged my attack._" The fire-haired teen thought. He turns his eyes to Jyun, who starts to position herself in an offensive stance. With a feral grin, he changes his stance and prepares himself to make a sword skill .

"_Like hell I'll let you!_" Jyun quickly dashed for Kusanagi, her longsword already glowing with sword input. At the same time her blade angled for Kusanagi, the latter made his move and when their swords meet, there's a large mist covering them. The crowd coughs and dust off the smoke, and when the smoke begins to clear, they could see Jyun with quite a few minor stitches here and there, and Kusanagi grinned wildly at the sight of his opponent receiving a few hits.

"_You sure have high Defense to get only that much_." He remembered the other players whom he had used the same sword skill against, and they got much worse than she did. His sword skill – **«One for All»** - allows him to use a special type of sword input that when he hits his sword with another, causes his opponents to receive several cuts everywhere. The level of the damage depends on how high the player's Defense is. If he could recall right, there are a few who got only light cuts from his attack, like the girl standing before him now.

"_It doesn't sting, but for some reason being attacked like that feels like such a great pain in the neck_." Jyun knows that using her Battle Healing skill could solve the problem, but she wants to beat the orange-haired bastard without any sword skills.

Her right hand makes a swipe in the air to activate her menu, and she presses a few buttons as quick as she could. In a second, her shield vanishes and she is left with her longsword as her only weapon. This act received a small but sinister laugh from Kusanagi, who found it silly to why would she give up her shield when it's what keeps her from getting so much damage from her attacks.

Both charged forward and their swords met, and Jyun quickly angled her sword to another position while keeping it in contact with her opponent's blade as she made her body free to make a spin. Her sword scratched against his greatsword as it slashed the air before hitting his sword again, and he was pushed back a few feet. She quickly ran to him without giving him a break, and slashed again. He moved her away with his sword, and he made the initiative by lifting his sword high and swinging it down to her. She parried the attack, and when she tried to make her own, he parried her own hit as well.

Their swords clashed, again and again. Neither was willing to back down, and minutes pass but neither of their HP have decreased. The flow of the duel seemed static, and this made everyone around them feel intense from the powerful pressure the fight gave.

Kusanagi believes he's just fighting someone strong who's after him for harming a friend.

But to Jyun, this felt like the perfect revenge. But she won't be unfair, even though he showed nothing but unfair treatment to her. She wanted to assure herself that without any dirty tricks, she would still be able to kick his ass and that would cross out one of the many targets of her long-ignored revenge list, at the same time make her feel partly satisfied and she would become more confident of herself.

When she first realized that she's stuck in a death game, the first things that were on her mind were to clear the game and take this also as a chance for her to become someone she could respect, even if it's only her who would be able to acknowledge herself.

Now, as she continued striking at Kusanagi with her sword, she felt energetic; something she hadn't felt in a long time. And she realized that it's from the fact that she also made it her goal – to get back at those who have done her wrong.

Everyone's real faces are already revealed thanks to the game creator's parting gift when he announced to them the truth of Sword Art Online. But she was more focused on her survival that she almost did not recognize Kusanagi at first.

But now that she remembers that the player's appearances can be modified in terms of hair style and color along with eye color, she wouldn't be able to know it's him the instant she saw his face. And if she could compare his face in the game to the face she remembers of him in real life, they share a lot of similarity in their features.

Thinking of all that, her attacks grew speedier but Kusanagi also has an edge – the size of his sword and his moderately high Defense – and even though he blocked out most of her slashes, he got a mildly deep slash across his right cheek.

The people froze. That was the first hit ever dealt after the few minutes that passed where neither got damaged as they kept on swinging their swords towards each other like madmen. Jyun broke the unchanging flow of the duel.

Kusanagi laughed quietly, the sound of his voice turning darker and more ominous than before. He looked down for a moment and laughed some more before tilting his head upwards a little bit to look at Jyun. His hair shadowed his eyes, but it made his look more intense.

"Sorry lady, but I guess I can't keep on playing fair anymore." The second after he said that, he was gone from where he used to stand and is currently right in front of Jyun, his sword going straight for her neck.

The time around that moment seemed to be very slow as Jyun moved quickly to avoid the attack, her sword heading for his to try and hinder his movements.

The attempt worked, but not that much, as Kusanagi pit almost all his strength in that attack to get past her defense and not let her dodge., His whole teeth could be seen, his lips in its widest grin as he saw his sword going through Jyun's stomach.

Slowly but surely, her HP started to decrease and go into the yellow zone. But he planned to let his sword damage her further until such time that it goes into the red zone. He didn't care if he's going to PK her, since he finds himself to be taking pleasure in taking innocent lives.

The raven head stood still, her expression not changing even though she is currently stabbed deeply in the stomach. She didn't make any kind of movement – that it looks like she already gave up in trying to fight back.

"Don't worry." Kusanagi started to say, slightly moving his sword deeper into her. "Unlike the other women, you're actually pretty good to take me on so boldly, and give me this much damage even though you're not a floor boss or a rare monster. In fact," He lowered his head and placed his lips against her ear. "I'm surprised that you've gotten this strong, even in a game, Baka-Yukina." he whispered.

Jyun hitched her breath sharply at the mention of that name. That name was what almost everybody in her childhood days would call her when they would throw jeers and taunts and insults at her. She completely despises that nickname, even up to now. And being called that again just made her decided that that was it.

Thrusting her sword into the ground, she quickly pulled herself out from the greatsword and without wasting another second, head-butted Kusanagi with such force that he felt dizzy from the hit. He did not expect that at all.

"Talking too much while fighting is a stupid thing to do, whether in games or in real life. You seem to be looking down on me, you asshole." she seethed, her aura radiating pure anger and violence. Even though she seemed calm, everyone can notice the change of her mood. It was completely different compared to when the battle was just about to start.

Kusanagi rubbed his sore nose and huffed, "I wasn't looking down on you or anything. I just thought that you're still that same quiet and weak girl who I love to bully every single day."

"And I just thought that this whole time, you can't even tell who the fuck I am with that pea-brain of yours." she bit back with her jaw hard.

The orange head held out his hands, shaking them in a sarcastic manner. "Whoa, whoa. Didn't expect you to cuss, lady. But I didn't know who you really are at first, until just a while ago when you were still from being stabbed by me. The way you looked at that moment completely reminded me of when I would bully you before, and you looked just like that." He received a glare from Jyun, and he could feel the killing intent from her ice-colored eyes. But he didn't stop himself from talking. "And… I'm actually quite impressed that you changed, into someone more interesting."

"Cut it. You're giving me the creeps." Jyun said bluntly. She turned her head to the HP bars hovering above them, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "_I didn't completely change_." she thought in her mind. She's still who she was before; quiet and tomboyish and straightforwardly direct. But right now, she realized that there was some other side to her that she never knew she had before. Nonetheless, it felt thrilling to finally let it all out.

She navigated through her menu, making her sword disappear. Others gasped to why she would do such a thing, since it looked like she was completely giving up. But, she is doing the exact opposite. She's really pissed now, that she wanted to beat the hell out of the guy. But she will continue fighting fair and square. And this time, she would use her own hands and feet to give him the beating of his life, like one would in the real world.

Even though she knows that what she's doing is reckless, it wasn't like doing this is against the rules. She feels like doing this, and no one would dare to try and stop her. She thought, this is her chance to prove to herself that she changed. That she can finally fight back, that she would not just stay quiet and let herself be harmed again and again.

"Let's continue from where we stopped, Adachi." But this time, I'm unarmed while you are. Care to see who wins?" She balled her fists together and took a fighting stance. Even though she never took any martial arts training or the sort in real life, everyone had to learn how to use hand-to-hand combat in the game should some situations come where they can't use their swords. And she made sure that she's quite proficient at it.

"Heh. Don't blame me if I PK you!"


End file.
